Whether you're a player or a Dungeon Master, the Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia is now the comprehensive sourcebook you need for the original fantasy roleplaying game! For ages 12 and up, the Cyclopedia contains the compete game system and hundreds of features, including the following:

All the rules from the D&D boxed set series, including Basic, Expert, Companion, and Masters

Guidelines to develop and play characters from levels 1-36

Comprehensive lists of weaponry and equipment

Expansion rules including optional skills and talents

An overview of the Known World and the HOLLOW WORLD game setting, the official D&D campaign world; and Rules to convert D&D games and characters into AD&D 2nd edition game statistics and back again

Fully compatible with the new DUNGEONS & DRAGONS Boxed Set, this volume allows players the full scope of fantasy role-playing from dungeons to the Outer Planes. Now, more than ever, the DUNGEON & DRAGONS game is ready and waiting for you.

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Product History

The Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia (1991), compiled and developed by Aaron Allston was the triumphant finale to the BECMI edition of D&D (1983-85). It was published in November 1991.

The End of Basic D&D. By 1991, Basic D&D was TSR's longest running roleplaying line. TSR traced the history of the game back to the release of the original D&D (1974). Even if you don't count that, the first game labeled as Basic D&D - the J. Eric Holmes Basic Set (July 1977) - appeared five months prior to the release of AD&D's Monster Manual (December 1977). It had since undergone two major revisions: the Tom Moldvay D&D Basic Set (1981), which was part of the B/X release, and which kicked off Basic D&D in its modern form; and the the Frank Mentzer D&D Basic Rules Set (1983), which was the first book in the BECMI revision.

Basic D&D had sold incredibly well at first, back in the late 70s and early 80s. Thanks in large part to the extensive publicity that D&D received from the James Egbert affair, new players were flocking to try out the game, and most of them went to TSR's introductory game - Basic D&D. That interest was in large part what led to the creation of the B/X and BECMI editions of the game, each of which expanded Basic D&D to allow for even more long-term play.

Unfortunately for Basic D&D, the pendulum began to swing toward AD&D as time went on. By the mid-80s, when popular books like Unearthed Arcana (1985) and Oriental Adventures (1985) were released, AD&D was clearly in ascendency, and Basic D&D was increasingly becoming the unwelcome relative who'd overstayed its welcome. The B-series ("Basic") adventures largely ended in 1985. The rest of the BECMI coded adventures finished up in 1987; other than the production of two final introductory adventures, B11: "King's Festival" (1989) and B12: "Queen's Harvest" (1989) a few years later. The "GAZ" line of Known World setting books then stumbled to a halt in 1991, with just one book published in each of the last years.

Although there were some new efforts like the "DDA" adventures (1990-91) and the Hollow World Setting (1990-92), it was clear that Basic D&D's flame was quickly fading.

A Black Box and a Hardcover Book. TSR tried to revive Basic D&D one last time in 1991 with a pair of new rules releases. The first was The New Easy to Master Dungeons & Dragons Game (1991), called alternatively the "Black Box edition," the "fifth edition," and "ten-seventy" (its product code, 1070) internally at TSR. It was a boxed D&D set that TSR described as "the first truly introductory version" of the game (as they had with every other "Basic" version of the game). The Black Box used cards to teach the game, something that had been advocated by Lorraine Williams based on the SRA reading programs (1957).

The Black Box is reported to have sold quickly and well. Approximately a half-million copies were purchased worldwide. It was also supplemented by a set of adventures that were almost boardgame-like with their colorful dungeon maps and figures. Unfortunately, the Black Box had one problem, the same problem that D&D "Basic" sets always had: it was limited in level, though it actually went up to 5th level, a bit higher than Basic's 3rd-level standard.

This limitation dovetailed nicely into TSR's other major plan for Basic D&D in 1991. Though the BECMI set of Basic D&D rules had always been well received, everyone thought it was quite troublesome to go through seven booklets totaling 368 pages when trying to track down a specific spell or magic item. Thus TSR decided to compile all of the rules into one hardcover book. The Rules Cyclopedia was the result - and it also offered somewhere for the Black Box players to go when they finished with fifth level.

Ironically, this was reportedly the exact same setup that Gygax had planned for the J. Eric Holmes Basic Set and also for AD&D, way back in 1977.

The Compilation. The Rules Cyclopedia is a compilation of the D&D Basic Rules Set (1983), the D&D Expert Rules Set (1983), the D&D Companion Rules (1984), and the D&D Master Rules (1985). It contains not only the rules from those boxed sets, but also the monsters, making the Cyclopedia one of two great sources for Basic D&D monsters, the other being the Creature Catalog (1986, 1993). Rules for skills and magic item creation from the "GAZ" Gazetteers (1987-91) are also included, making the Cyclopedia a truly massive compilation of about a decade's worth of Basic D&D rules.

The Immortals Rules (1986) are notably not included in the Cyclopedia, although it does contain seven pages from the Master Rules that include basic information for immortals, including rules on PCs ascending to those lofty ranks.

Rules on jousting in tournaments and on artifacts were also left out of the Cyclopedia.

Not an Introductory Book! Unlike every other iteration of Basic D&D, this one was not intended to be an introductory roleplaying book. It was instead a reference for Basic D&D play, which matched TSR's thinking about the AD&D 2e rules.

Expanding the Known World. The Cyclopedia doesn't expand the Known World in any notable way, but it does include a rather impressive atlas, featuring 16 full color maps, including the maps from the Gazetteers and the world maps from the Master Rules and the Hollow World Campaign Set (1990).

Future History. The Black Box rules and the Rules Cyclopedia got some joint support in the form of the "Thunder Rift" series of low-level adventures (1992-93). The Rules Cyclopedia also was supplemented with a few boxed releases, the most notable of which was Wrath of the Immortals (1992), a new set of immortals rules.

However, after the Black Box was revised one more time as The Classic Dungeons & Dragons Game (1994), all support for the line ended. After 22 years (or 19 if you prefer), Basic D&D was finally dead.

About the Creators. Though lots of people worked on the Rules Cyclopedia, the two most notable creators are Frank Mentzer, who wrote all the original boxes, and Aaron Allston, who led the Cyclopedia project. Mentzer had left TSR for New Infinities back in 1986, which was likely why he wasn't directly involved in this project. Allston didn't work for TSR at all, but instead had been a freelance RPG writer since 1983. Though he only tended to write one or two books for TSR each year, by the early 90s he was writing the biggest releases for Basic D&D, including the Hollow World Campaign Setting, the D&D Rules Cyclopedia, and Wrath of the Immortals.

About the Product Historian

The history of this product was researched and written by Shannon Appelcline, the editor-in-chief of RPGnet and the author of Designers & Dragons - a history of the roleplaying industry told one company at a time. Please feel free to mail corrections, comments, and additions to shannon.appelcline@gmail.com.

The physical quality of the book is good however, the print quality is fairly mediocre. The resolution is way below 600 dpi (I would guess around 200 dpi) making the text appear somewhat blurry. It appears to also be printed with an ink-based color printer of some sort. Another factor is probably the low resolution of the particular scan they are printing from.

Despite the aforementioned issues, the book is usable and fairly well made.

Scott PApril 16, 2018 11:32 am UTC

PURCHASER

Just received my softcover version of this classic and I could not be happier! Very solid reproduction quality--colors, text, and overall book all look very solid. Thanks WotC and Drivethru for making this incredible book available again through PoD!

Tony MApril 16, 2018 10:40 am UTC

PURCHASER

My 'New Scan' PoD finally arrived (after a couple of Unearthed Arcana's) and I'm happy to report the text and tables appear to be an improvement over 'Old Scan', a PoD copy of which I bought in February.

Mark JApril 14, 2018 2:43 pm UTC

Did they update the file with the known errata?

david WApril 11, 2018 7:07 pm UTC

PURCHASER

After getting two UAs I got mine today, and the print quality is crisp and clear. Yay!!

Michael BApril 15, 2018 5:09 pm UTC

PURCHASER

Sounds good! I guess I'll grab a print copy after all!

Blake FApril 05, 2018 4:19 pm UTC

PURCHASER

Seems like they're still sending Ultimate Arcana copies. At least the Ultimate Arcana copy is of good quality....

Justin SMarch 31, 2018 4:40 pm UTC

PURCHASER

So is this worth getting pod at this point in time? Its really confusing that some are saying its good, then a "new" pdf is uploaded and now its worse. What is the return policy of a pod book if the text is slightly blurry?

Tony MApril 02, 2018 9:19 am UTC

PURCHASER

I bought the PoD at the end of February and as of now I have 5 different pdfs on my HD.

To my eyes the pdf I got at the end of February is still the best, but I'm still waiting on a second PoD copy, presumably based on one of the other pdfs, but I won't know which until I see it.

I should have received the second PoD copy by now, but I too received a copy of Unearthed Arcana instead.

Sounds like some WoTC intern has misnamed the files and One Book Shelf / Lightning Source are just pumping out the books regardless.

I'll update as I when I get a second Unearthed Arcana (which is what I'm expecting) or a second Rules Cyclopedia, which I can then compare to my first PoD copy.

In the meantime folks, caveat emptor.

Tony MApril 03, 2018 11:44 am UTC

PURCHASER

As anticipated, second Unearthed Arcana arrived today...

David SMarch 30, 2018 2:33 am UTC

PURCHASER

So after I was mistakenly sent two copies of Unearthed Arcana a week ago, I now have my replacement order with the correct books, right? WRONG! THEY SENT ME TWO MORE COPIES OF UNEARTHED ARCANA! I still have not received my correct order! I think they are playing some sort of practical joke on me. Please just send me my order!

Man, something fishy is going on. Looks like I'm not the only one to have ordered a D&D Rules Cyclopedia and instead received a copy of Unearthed Arcana (which I have an original copy of and didn't need).

black FMarch 23, 2018 7:00 am UTC

PURCHASER

New PDF ... New blur.
I think i'll pass for the physical version. Too bad :(

Bruce HMarch 23, 2018 10:29 am UTC

PURCHASER

The printed book is fine. It's the new PDF that seems a bit blurry.

Christopher SMarch 23, 2018 2:50 pm UTC

PURCHASER

My hardcover, which I ordered on the 12th, looks pretty solid. I had emailed DTRPG support about the PDF uproar and they told me that mine was printed from the 3/13 file that has since been replaced.

The print is a bit fuzzy - as though each letter bled a little bit - but I don't find it unreadable by any means. Think I have to agree with Bruce: the print copy is solid - especially for a scanned book. I don't have the PDF, so I can't speak to its current quality.

Brian SMarch 28, 2018 9:33 pm UTC

> "(...) they told me that mine was printed from the 3/13 file that has since been replaced."

does "replaced" suggest they are no longer printing from that file? i wonder if they are still printing from that source.

black FMarch 29, 2018 6:34 am UTC

PURCHASER

Many thanks for your testimonies Bruce, Christopher and Brian.
Nonetheless your good news, i will wait until the Unearthed Arcana POD switch is officially resolved.

Cory DMarch 21, 2018 7:58 pm UTC

PURCHASER

So after they advised me they were sending a new pod version, they sent me an Unearthed Arcana book. While cool totally useless to me as I had a good copy of the original

Cory DMarch 21, 2018 9:21 pm UTC

PURCHASER

I can keep the UA and they are sending another RC...

David SMarch 21, 2018 4:12 am UTC

PURCHASER

I ordered two POD copies the other day and was incorrectly sent two copies of Unearthed Arcana(?). After contacting support, they told me that they could not correct my order right now because they are having problems with errors in the print file. They said they had to wait to get a response from their publisher service team. They said they would contact me when the file was corrected and send out the books I ordered.

Rodger DMarch 21, 2018 4:14 am UTC

PURCHASER

Is that why its no longer listed for POD?

Cory DMarch 21, 2018 7:59 pm UTC

PURCHASER

Are they letting you keep the UA or do you need to send it back?

Chad BMarch 21, 2018 8:18 pm UTC

PURCHASER

I just got an email regarding the same issue. The email said I can keep or dispose of the Unearthed Arcana book as I wished. Did they send you the 1st edition or 3.5 of Unearthed Arcana?

Cory DMarch 21, 2018 9:21 pm UTC

PURCHASER

1st edition

Leonard OMarch 19, 2018 5:49 am UTC

PURCHASER

Was going to spring for this, but judging by the uproar, I'm better off keeping my money until they fix the scan.

Leonard OMarch 21, 2018 4:58 am UTC

PURCHASER

Just checked my old PDF, and yeah- the quality is markedly better.

Eugene SMarch 19, 2018 5:19 am UTC

PURCHASER

Humm copy I bought when it first came out, A OK! New Scan, SUCKS. What do we learn from this? Don't trust Drive thru RPG. I'm 50 years old and honestly cannot read this very well. Worthless. I'm glad I keep my old scan.

Geoffrey WMarch 21, 2018 3:35 am UTC

You do understand that Drive-Thru RPG just hosts the files and maintains the storefront, right? It's Wizards of the Coast that's doing the scanning.

Michael FMarch 18, 2018 1:35 pm UTC

PURCHASER

The price was halved a few days after I ordered it and I received a copy with blurred text. Who do I contact about a refund of that 50%? Also, the pages aren't numbered. How am I supposed to find anything in a 300 page book without the pages numbered?

Bruce HMarch 18, 2018 1:41 pm UTC

PURCHASER

The pages should be numbered, like in the original book (since this is a scan of the original). Look at the center of the graphic element at the bottom of the page. Contact DTRPG Customer Service for support at https://support.drivethrurpg.com/hc/en-us/requests/new. Cheers!

Michael FMarch 18, 2018 1:47 pm UTC

PURCHASER

Ok, they are there. Talk about camouflaged. Can't fault them for an original design error.

Petterson CMarch 18, 2018 6:06 am UTC

PURCHASER

Scan is 1 star below than my previous download.

Can you guys use Photoshop to sharpen out the contents? PDF and Photoshop are compatible, and if you are making a profit out of the sales here, why not improve it to make the buyers happier?

BLURRY PRINTING
The physical quality of the book is good however, the print quality is fairly mediocre.
The resolution is way below 600 dpi (I would guess around 200 dpi) making the text appear somewhat blurry.
It appears to also be printed with an ink [...]

The PDF Is great, and very usable, espeically if you want to snip text and things for your own printouts. The POD is amazing looking. It took almost a month to get here as they sent me 2 Unearthed Arcana book incorrectly, but it seems they've f [...]

This review is for the quality of the book itself and not so much the contents or rules themselves. I received my copy today. For those who had the original, by looking at the cover it's fairly obvious this is a reprint, but a very nice looking [...]

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